The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-01-11
THE FISHERIES.
The Secretary of the Treasury Re-
gardlng Free Fish, Etc.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10.-Some weeks since
the House of Representatives asked the Sec
retary ofthe Treasury in regard to the inter-
probation which he has given to the clause
of the tariff relating to fish, fresh, for i'm
mediate consumption" The Secretary has
made reply which contains great deal Of
information regarding the duties on fisheries
and complaints regarding the tariff The re-
ply which has been sent out to the press
does not contain the appendices to which
frequent reference is made and which con-
tfvoi7ioir important question.
On this matter the Secretary says:
In September last the Interpretation of
the law was referred to the solicitor of this
department. His opinion subjoined in ap-
pendiX A. does not relieve the enactment
from difficulties in uniform application at
each port such as the constitution commands.
If Collector shall, in order to secure such
uniformity at every port, await the decision
Of this department after an exhibition Of the
facts surrounding each entry, the fish might
become anything but fresh"
This is all that the reply contains upon the
most vital part of the inquiry of the House.
Those who have the appendix can learn
of the decision. The secretary does not fail
to attack the protective policy, and says that
if the so-called Reciprocity treaty of 1854 had
not been abrogated, this country and Canada
would be much better off and these perplex-
ing questions would not have arisen.
His discussion of the question, "What
Vessels are American Vessels?" is more
satisfactory. That is, on American vessels
obese papers are properly issued and the
presentation of such papers Is prima facie
evidence against all the world. In regard
to the law licensed to carry ON fishing and
also to trade, the Secretary says;
The section of our law which authorizes a
vessel, licensed for carrying on fishery, to
touch and trade at any foreign port is not
a modern contrivance for modern exigences,
as Canadian local officials intimate, but has
been on our statute book since 1898. AS lit
orally reproduced in section 1864 of the Re
vised Statutes, it gives the permission of this
department to any vessel so licensed for car
rying on the fisheries of the United States
to enter British or other foreign ports, as a
commercial vessel and to there enjoy the
rights and privileges accorded to vessels of
the United States sailing foreign" under q
register, and not engaged in the fisheries.
The permission thus given to fishing vessels
to "tOuch and trade" has been understood
by this department for nearly a hundred
years as comforting upon the vessel right to
land, and to receive on board cargo of
not engaged in the fisheries. On the return
of the vessel to the United States, she is re-
quired to make regular entry, and to be in
all respects subject to the regulations pre-
prescribed for vessels arriving from foreign
ports.
The Secretary does not complain Of the
rig0r of the customs laws of Canada, "but
because she refuses to permit American deep
sea fishing vessels, navigating and using the
ocean, to enter her ports for the ordinary
purposes OF trade and commerce, even